Ozempic Manufacturer Novo Nordisk Builds $4.1B Warehouse in NC

The demand for Ozempic, Wegovy, and other semaglutide injections is so great that Novo Nordisk has invested $4.1 billion in constructing a warehouse in North Carolina to keep up with the demand.

Reuters is reporting that the facility is strictly designed to fill the injectable pens that deliver the GLP-1 drug to users. The warehouse, which will be located in Clayton, North Carolina, is expected to be completed no later than 2029 and will add an additional 1,000 workers to the 2,500 that the company already employs. According to some experts, sales of the product could reach about $150 billion by the 2030s.

Novo Nordisk previously told the outlet that it had planned to build warehouses in the United States and Europe to keep up with the increasing demand.

Late last month, Novo Nordisk invested $6 billion into Ozempic and Wegovy to stave off the increasing delays in accessing the medication.

Negelle Morris, senior vice president and head of cardiometabolic sales for Novo Nordisk in the U.S., spoke with Good Morning America about the problem of rising demand. Morris said there will likely still be delays in the release of the highly sought-after drugs even with the company’s financial investment in these medicines.

“It’s not like a light switch,” she said. “The strategy is to be very mindful and thoughtful about the amount of the lower doses that we’re putting into the market, and I think that over time, the investments that we’re making in manufacturing capabilities will ensure that over time we’re able to meet that demand.”

Additionally, Nestle made headlines when it announced that it was creating a food line specifically for Ozempic users.

Twelve products, including pizzas, sandwich melts, and frozen protein pasta, will be the first in the new food brand, Vital Pursuit. The site claims that these goods will have larger levels of protein along with other vital vitamins and minerals like potassium, iron, and vitamin A.

Additionally, according to a press release from the company, Vital Pursuit meals would be portion-controlled and specially created to satisfy the appetite of “a weight loss medication user.”